1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable locking strap apparatus for attachment to elongate objects such as a surfboards or the like to protect against the theft thereof.
2. Related Art
Various locking devices have been developed in the past for locking personal belongings to guard against theft. Among the most well-known type of such a lock is a bicycle lock which includes a chain or cable having fixed loops at each end. The cable can be extended through the bicycle frame, about a fixed object such as a fence or pole and then the ends can be secured together by means of a lock such as a combination lock or key lock. However, such locks are insufficient to protect items lacking a space therein for inserting a cable therethrough. A surfboard is such an object that does not have any space or opening to thread a cable through.
Past efforts to provide locks for surfboards and the like include attempts to provide adjustable loops for fitting about a surfboard wherein the loop is specifically sized to be secured between the fins and the wider area of the board. However, this is a very inflexible approach and does not allow one to use the lock interchangeably with different size surfboards. Another approach is to provide a device with a plurality of locks, one lock for interconnecting two loops together about an elongate object and another lock for securing a loop through one of the two loops and about a stationary body. However, this is a cumbersome approach. Other efforts include attaching hardware to a surfboard to allow for a lock to be attached to the surfboard. However, such an approach could cause damage to the surfboard. Other efforts disclose one or two adjustable loops, but do not allow for the locked object to be connected to a fixed object such as a car.
Accordingly, what is needed, but has not heretofore been provided, is an easily adjustable device for locking surfboards and the like which does not damage the object being locked, and which allows for the object to be secured to a fixed object.